A unit plan seems like a daunting task, especially when done poorly. It is very easy to get lost in the content of science, without addressing the needs of the students. Before beginning this unit plan I used my previous experiences as a high school student to reflect on. My main complaints in school, especially as a 9th grade student, were along the lines of “why do I need to do this?” In this unit plan I tried to address this concern of students, including myself, by creating authentic assessments and lessons. I made use of the available technology in the room and added video clips, diagrams, visual aids and activities for students. These will all be of use in creating a meaningful unit plan for the students next semester.
I used the textbook as a guide in this unit, in order to keep consistent with the other classes and with what the students are used to. Contrary to my high school experience, the students at Westerly High School actually like to use the textbook to complete tasks, which is beneficial in more ways than one. The students are learning from a type of media that is readily available to the class, in addition to the material being explained in terms they understand. The school is very pleased as well to hear the students are using the textbooks, since books are becoming a large portion of the budget. I incorporated the textbook activities and vocabulary in order to promote the students studying the same information and not from confusing definitions.
After the basic outline of my unit plan was complete, I wrote down the activities. As much as I dislike notes, I believe that taking notes is one of the most helpful ways to record information when learning it for the first time. After each set of notes, however, I put in an activity in order to break up any monotony seen in the classroom. I was hoping to do this to let the students know that taking notes is necessary, but when completed we can move on to more “fun” activities. The unit consists of an inquiry activity, a couple demonstrations, a lab and multiple videos of examples. The inquiry activity is between rocks and minerals. Most students will recognize the words but be unable to give a definition of the differences between rocks and minerals. By having the students ask their own questions about rocks or minerals and reporting back to the class, we will be able to create a class description of the difference between rocks and minerals.
The students at Westerly High School are on a rotating block schedule, which requires some flexibility in planning. For example, I could see a class on a Friday, and then not again until the following Tuesday. My unit plan has flexibility in the lessons in order to fix any spaces left by this block scheduling. I have activities where the students finish work until the next class or sometimes hang up the work on the wall of the room. This promotes students reading their own answers and being able to revisit the information in a less stressful way. Also as a final review I chose to use Jeopardy. The students in my classes are on a whole outgoing, and I think that using white boards will really be a great mood booster for the students while still promoting learning. Also, students are familiar with Jeopardy at this point in their academic career as a fun review game and there will be very little directions needed before play begins.
Overall I hope that I addressed any concerns of the students throughout the unit as well as the topics I wish to cover. Each lesson may not take just one day, but I allotted for flexibility with the time. I will continue to change the lesson as I get to know my students better and learn their habits and also their interests. I am a huge fan of incorporating technology and hope to use laptops (if they become available in the future) for activities in this unit. This unit plan addresses a variety of GSE while also adhering to the content used across the rest of the building. I am excited to implement my unit into the curriculum in the classroom and cannot wait to begin teaching about the Earth’s interior.
I used the textbook as a guide in this unit, in order to keep consistent with the other classes and with what the students are used to. Contrary to my high school experience, the students at Westerly High School actually like to use the textbook to complete tasks, which is beneficial in more ways than one. The students are learning from a type of media that is readily available to the class, in addition to the material being explained in terms they understand. The school is very pleased as well to hear the students are using the textbooks, since books are becoming a large portion of the budget. I incorporated the textbook activities and vocabulary in order to promote the students studying the same information and not from confusing definitions.
After the basic outline of my unit plan was complete, I wrote down the activities. As much as I dislike notes, I believe that taking notes is one of the most helpful ways to record information when learning it for the first time. After each set of notes, however, I put in an activity in order to break up any monotony seen in the classroom. I was hoping to do this to let the students know that taking notes is necessary, but when completed we can move on to more “fun” activities. The unit consists of an inquiry activity, a couple demonstrations, a lab and multiple videos of examples. The inquiry activity is between rocks and minerals. Most students will recognize the words but be unable to give a definition of the differences between rocks and minerals. By having the students ask their own questions about rocks or minerals and reporting back to the class, we will be able to create a class description of the difference between rocks and minerals.
The students at Westerly High School are on a rotating block schedule, which requires some flexibility in planning. For example, I could see a class on a Friday, and then not again until the following Tuesday. My unit plan has flexibility in the lessons in order to fix any spaces left by this block scheduling. I have activities where the students finish work until the next class or sometimes hang up the work on the wall of the room. This promotes students reading their own answers and being able to revisit the information in a less stressful way. Also as a final review I chose to use Jeopardy. The students in my classes are on a whole outgoing, and I think that using white boards will really be a great mood booster for the students while still promoting learning. Also, students are familiar with Jeopardy at this point in their academic career as a fun review game and there will be very little directions needed before play begins.
Overall I hope that I addressed any concerns of the students throughout the unit as well as the topics I wish to cover. Each lesson may not take just one day, but I allotted for flexibility with the time. I will continue to change the lesson as I get to know my students better and learn their habits and also their interests. I am a huge fan of incorporating technology and hope to use laptops (if they become available in the future) for activities in this unit. This unit plan addresses a variety of GSE while also adhering to the content used across the rest of the building. I am excited to implement my unit into the curriculum in the classroom and cannot wait to begin teaching about the Earth’s interior.
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